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Finding Balance: Expectations And Dance

November 18, 2013 by 4dancers

by Emily Kate Long

Screen shot 2013-11-04 at 9.18.48 PM(1)My last Finding Balance post discussed balance and alignment in the physical sense. I talked about how misalignments in the body can bring about sensory dissonance. In this post, I’ll look a different kind of alignment and dissonance: when our expectations of ourselves don’t line up with our work. Today I want to share some items that are not dance-specific, but very readily apply to the setting, meeting, and letting go of our expectations.

Labors of love come with high expectations, and high expectations demand a high workload. Dancers know this. Anyone who pursues art for a living knows this. The rewards can be huge, so the work is not easy. The first treasure I have to share is a list of ten rules for students, teachers, and life by Sister Mary Corita Kent, an artist and educator who gained reknown in the 1960s and 1970s. Merce Cunningham kept a copy of these rules in his studio. They are well worth hanging. Here’s the full list, from Kent’s Learning by Heart:

Corita Kent
Corita Kent
  1. Find a place you trust, and then try trusting it for a while
  2. General duties of a student: pull everything out of your teacher; pull everything out of your fellow students
  3. General duties of a teacher: pull everything out of your students
  4. Consider everything an experiment
  5. Be self-disciplined—this means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to follow them. To be disciplined is to follow in a good way. To be self-disciplined is to follow in a better way.
  6. Nothing is a mistake. There is no win and no fail, only make
  7. The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something. It’s the people who do all of the work all f the time who eventually catch on to things.
  8. Don’t try to create and analyze at the same time. They’re different processes.
  9. Be happy whenever you can manage it. It’s lighter than you think.
  10. “We’re breaking all the rules. Even our own rules. And how do we do that? By leaving plenty of room for X quantities.” John Cage

Hints: Always be around. Come or go to everything. Always go to classes. Read anything you can get your hands on. Look at movies carefully, often. Save everything—it might come in handy later.

This list sums up just about everything needed to pursue excellence. What I really love about it is the emphasis on allowing room for errors and questions, and leaving no stone unturned.

As a complement to Kent’s list, and to illustrate a challenge I and many other dancers face, I also want to share Sheri LeBlanc’s essay, “The Perfectionist Dilemma.” In it, LeBlanc sensitively teases apart excellence pursuit and perfectionism, which, as she puts it, are similar only as far as the results each can produce. One gives us a healthy relationship with our efforts and achievements, while the other sets up for feelings of failure and inadequacy, no matter what we achieve. Expecting perfection from ourselves or from anyone around us automatically misaligns expectation with outcome.

Screen shot 2013-11-04 at 9.13.02 PM(1)

What we have so far are guidelines for the pursuit of excellence, and thoughts on the damaging effects of perfectionism. My third offering is a tool to help us let go of our attachments to any unreasonable expectations we may have of ourselves. If our creative work is inherently experimental, as Sister Corita’s list suggests, it requires us to throw out unsuccessful outcomes continually. If it is to be enjoyable, it requires us to experience our successes as fully as we can. A talk by Matthew Brensilver on clinging and letting go from Zencast gives a ton of insight on letting go of beliefs, identities, and the need to be right. It’s a forty-minute, free podcast that I highly recommend. To summarize wouldn’t do it justice, but the angle he takes is the Buddhist teaching that all things and states of being are impermanent, so all can be let go when they don’t align with the present moment. I feel that approach is apt for dance, a living art.

Igor Stranvinsky
Igor Stranvinsky

The final item I want to share is an episode of Radiolab (another podcast) that provides a thoughtful and humorous look at misalignment of expectations in history. “Musical Language” takes a look at what happens between the ears and the brain when we hear unfamiliar or dissonant noises. I’m including it here because it features, at around 26 minutes in, the legendary riot at the premiere of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. The whole episode has to do with how the brain orders unfamiliar sounds and looks for patterns. I think there’s a parallel here for the way we try to make sense of our bodies and physical capabilities each day, or seek patterns to learn new movement. It’s also pretty funny to listen to, if you need a short science break to liven up your day.

Readers, I hope these four treats provide some new perspective on the subject of measuring up to expectations. They are thoughtful, entertaining, playful, stark, challenging—words that also describe the artist’s work.

dancer doing arabesque
Emily Kate Long, Photo by Avory Pierce

Assistant Editor Emily Kate Long began her dance education in South Bend, Indiana, with Kimmary Williams and Jacob Rice, and graduated in 2007 from Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School’s Schenley Program. She has spent summers studying at Ballet Chicago, Pittsburgh Youth Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, Miami City Ballet, and Saratoga Summer Dance Intensive/Vail Valley Dance Intensive, where she served as Program Assistant. Ms Long attended Milwaukee Ballet School’s Summer Intensive on scholarship before being invited to join Milwaukee Ballet II in 2007.

Ms Long has been a member of Ballet Quad Cities since 2009. She has danced featured roles in Deanna Carter’s Ash to Glass and Dracula, participated in the company’s 2010 tour to New York City, and most recently performed principal roles in Courtney Lyon’s Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, and Cinderella. She is also on the faculty of Ballet Quad Cities School of Dance, where she teaches ballet, pointe, and repertoire classes.

Filed Under: Career, Finding Balance Tagged With: emily kate long, finding balance, merce cunningham, rite of spring, sister mary corita kent, stravinsky

Never Stand Still – A Jacob’s Pillow Documentary

August 14, 2012 by 4dancers

by Catherine L. Tully

Never Stand Still is a documentary about Jacob’s Pillow, home of the longest-running international dance festival in the United States. Affectionately dubbed “The Pillow,” this national historic landmark has a complex and fascinating history which is illuminated quite well by Director Ron Honsa through a combination of historical photographs, videos and narrative. Interviews with dance luminaries such as Merce Cunningham, Mark Morris, Judith Jamison and Paul Taylor punctuate the documentary with interesting anecdotes and observations from their own work, adding to the breadth and depth of the film.

Viewers are expertly guided through the history of the venue through rich narration provided by a well-known figure in the dance world–Bill T. Jones. Highlights include dancer Frederic Franklin remembering his early days on the property with Ted Shawn (modern dance pioneer and founder of Jacob’s Pillow) and Suzanne Farrell reminiscing about her time there.

The footage does a wonderful job of showcasing the natural surroundings at The Pillow–163 acres of green space in the Berkshires, dotted with rustic farmhouse buildings and an outdoor stage. The property really has a “vacation getaway” feel to it, and indeed it is known as an intimate venue that some in the dance world even refer to as a “sanctuary”.

The release of this film coincides with the 80th anniversary of the Festival, and it does much to convey the diverse heritage of the annual event. Inspiration and collaboration are highlighted through interviews with Tony Award-winner Bill Irwin and dancer Rasta Thomas, and a multitude of dance clips give viewers a sampling of the range of movement styles represented throughout the Festival each year.

Never Stand Still is a tribute to Jacob’s Pillow–a testament to our tradition and roots in movement. It succeeds in its attempt to convey the mood and emotion that can exist in a physical place where so much passion, talent and excitement have come together throughout the years. There is a reverence for this piece of land in the dance world; both for its history and for what it has become today–a place for dance that really has no equal.

Here’s an extended preview for those of you who are interested in getting a glimpse of what this film looks like:

Filed Under: 4dancers, DVDs Tagged With: bill t. jones, dance movie, frederic franklin, jacob's pillow, judith jamison, mark morris, merce cunningham, never stand still, paul taylor, rasta thomas, suzanne farrell, ted shawn

Dance Blog Spotlight: NYC Dance Stuff

June 19, 2012 by 4dancers

This month on Dance Blog Spotlight we are featuring Darrell Wood’s blog, NYC Dance Stuff…

Darrell Wood

1 – Can you tell readers a bit about your background in dance?

I am a retired dancer who loves dance. I have danced with the Jackson Ballet under the leadership of Thalia Mara, with Edith Stephen, Elaine Shipman/Situ, Eleanor Coleman, Keely Garfield and Poppo and the Go-Go Boys to name a few. In the past I have assisted both Igal Perry and Elisa Monte with the productions of their New York City seasons. I am classical trained and studied with Maggie Black and David Howard; I also studied modern dance with Paul Sansardo, Merce Cunningham, Lynn Simonson, Milton Meyers and Ana Marie Forsythe. In 1993 I produced The White Wall Series, the series helped young, new choreographers to present their work. Plus, I have written for HX and Vice magazines. I have a B.A. in History and Secondary Education.

2- When did you begin your blog—and why did you start it?

I started my blog October 7th, 2011. I started my blog because I love writing about dance. I wanted a site that would not only critic performances in NYC but also to create a site that could help educate about dance past, present and future.

3 – What does your blog cover?

My blog is geared toward performance, dance videos, dance news and any aspect of dance history I can get my hands on. I’m fascinated by dance history.

4- What has been the best part about participating in the dance community online?

It’s about reconnecting with a community I love and cherish. I had been away from dance for well over 15 years and did not realize how much I missed dance as a whole. The first time I was in a studio again, I had been invited to view a rehearsal, was almost a religious experience.

Also it was very moving for me. Eleven years ago I was diagnosed with Spinal Cerebellum Degeneration. It is and has been in remission for years, for five years I was homebound, the first year and a half I was bedridden with the other three and half years I was wheelchair bound. So with acquiring first a Scooter and now a motorized wheelchair I once again have my independence and I am off to the races. I use the chair for long distances and short distances I walk with a crutch.

To view the majesty of the human form in movement is a great treasure to me. I know the work, sweat and study it takes to truly become a dancer. Plus, I am so in awe of today’s generation of dancer, their technique and capabilities far surpass those of my generation.

5 – What other dance blogs do you read?

Oberon’s Grove, I check daily. It’s what I want my blog to be when it grows up, I think it’s awesome.  http://oberon481.typepad.com/oberons_grove/

Deborah Jowitt’s Dance Beat. Just because it’s Deborah Jowitt, someone who’s writing I have read for years and greatly respect. http://www.artsjournal.com/dancebeat/

Walter Rutledge, of Walter’s World from the Harlem World magazine, I think he is a great writer and enjoy his insight. http://harlemworldmag.com/2012/05/31/walters-world-rioult-premieres-the-violet-hour/

Tobi Tobias Seeing Things, also another writer who I greatly respect and have read for years. http://www.artsjournal.com/tobias/

Critical Dance Forum. It’s a great board with great discussions on dance around the world. http://www.ballet-dance.com/

BIO: Darrell Wood has a B.A. in Secondary Education and History. He would like to share the following:

I am hoping for a job teaching Social Studies so please send me positive energies. I became disabled in 2000 and had to re-invent myself. I am in the process of gathering research for a paper about the communications between Martha Graham and Agnes de Mille.

Filed Under: 4dancers, Dance Blog Spotlight Tagged With: ana marie forsythe, dance blog, dance blogs, darrell wood, david howard, elaine shipman/situ, eleanor coleman, elisa monte, igal perry, keely garfield, lynn simonson, maggie black, merce cunningham, milton meyers, nyc dance stuff, poppo and the go-go boys, thalia mara

10 Questions With…Ryan Wenzel

October 17, 2011 by 4dancers

Today on 10 Questions With… we welcome dance blogger Ryan Wenzel…

Ryan Wenzel

1.     How did you become involved with dance?

Completely by accident. I never danced or saw any professional dance when I was growing up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. A friend of mine in New York has been a fan of New York City Ballet for years and convinced me last year to join him at a weekend matinee. It was an all-Robins program: Dances at a Gathering and West Side Story Suite. I didn’t love it at the time – I was intimidated by it – but I was intrigued, so I bought books about Robbins and George Balanchine and devoured them. By the end of New York City Ballet’s next season, I was hooked, and I started seeing other types of dance as well.

2.    What are you currently doing in the field?

I write Bodies Never Lie, a blog mostly about the New York dance performances I see. I also work full-time as the online communications manager for Henry Street Settlement, a nonprofit organization on Manhattan’s Lower East Side that includes the Abrons Arts Center.

3.    Would you share your thoughts about where you think dance is headed as an art form?

I have no idea. At this point I’m working overtime just to figure out where dance has been!

4.    What gave you the idea for your blog? [Read more…]

Filed Under: 10 Questions With... Tagged With: Abrons Arts Center, christopher Wheeldon, george balanchine, jerome robbins, mark morris, merce cunningham, new york city ballet, nycb, paul taylor

10 Questions With…Winifred Haun

March 2, 2011 by 4dancers

Today we have Winifred Haun with us for our feature…   

Winifred Haun

1. How did you become involved in dance? 

When I was 5 years old, I attended a little private school on Chicago’s north side. As an alternative to gym, they offered ballet classes on Fridays to the girls. I loved it, and sort of knew then that I would be a dancer for the rest of my life. When I was 10 years old, I started taking classes at the Ellis-DuBoulay School of Ballet. I think I received the best possible training in the city. Mr. and Mrs. ‘E’ trained not only our bodies but our minds. A lot of really successful Chicago dancers trained with them (Lou Conte is probably their most famous student). I also credit Harriet Ross for teaching me everything I know about modern technique. She also taught me how to perform and she and Randy Duncan encouraged me to choreograph.

2. What are you currently doing in the field? 

I have my own dance company, Winifred Haun & Dancers. I started it in 1991 because I wanted to put together a group of artists who could help me create my work. My latest work, “Bento,” premieres March 17 & 18 at Hamlin Park Theater. I also teach modern dance at Hubbard St. Dance Center, and at Legere Dance Center in River Forest. 

3. Can you share a special moment from your career? 

One my favorite moments was when, as a member of the Joseph Holmes Dance Theater I first performed “Love Not Me,” choreographed by Randy Duncan, at the New Regal Theater in 1989. I had actually performed it a few times on tour, so it was really rehearsed. Despite all the preparation (I had great coaching from Harriet Ross), I felt terrible right after my performance, but I had a really quick costume change, so I didn’t have time to cry. After the show was over, the response and quick congratulations from Randy, Harriet, and my fellow dancers was so wonderful and so positive, that I still didn’t have time to cry or really be upset! 

4. What advice would you offer other dancers? 

Don’t worry about what others are doing or who’s getting what parts or into what company. Concentrate on yourself and make yourself into the best possible dancer you can. Take class as often as possible, listen to your teachers. Audition and then perform work for anybody who wants you. You never what will lead to what. 

“Bento” by Winifred Haun

5. What have you had to struggle against in dance? 

As a dancer, I always felt that being tall (I’m 5’ 9”) was a challenge. Most of the lead roles go to women who are shorter (they’re easier to partner). As a choreographer, just being a woman in a field where the top jobs are all held by men is a challenge. Women just don’t get the recognition for their work that men do. (I think women in all careers probably struggle with this…) Which is kind of ironic, given that the field is about 80% women.    

6. Do you have a favorite dancer or choreographer? If so, what is it about them that makes them stand out? 

One of my all time favorite dancers is Claire Bataille. I loved her stage presence and her control of her technique. Watching her in class, in rehearsal, and on stage was inspiring. My favorite choreographers are: Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown, Ohad Naharin, Eiko & Komo, William Forsythe, Randy Duncan, and Mark Morris. I love the risks that these artists take and how alive and individual they are. In my latest work, Bento, I honor some of these choreographers by purposely imitating their choreography. (Some have even “donated” 32 counts.) 

As for young, local choreographers, my favorites are Jackie Stewart and Jessica Miller Tomlinson. I’m sharing a concert with them in March 2012 at the Ruth Page Center. (We just received a MetLife New Stages for Dance grant for this project!) I saw a concert that Jackie and Jessica shared a concert last year and it was amazing. 

7. What is the best advice you have ever received regarding dance? 

Hold your stomach in and move from your center. And don’t take yourself too seriously. Those are good life skills also!    

Winifred Haun

8. Where do you think dance is going as an art form? 

I think choreographically dance is moving away from ballet. In her amazing book “Apollo’s Angels,” Jennifer Homans, says that ballet is a dying art form, and I reluctantly agree with her. No one is moving the form forward and without constant re-invention, it will eventually not be an art. Ballet will always be a great technique with lots to offer any dancer who studies it. But, as an art form, dance is moving away from ballet. (Lots of my friends, teachers and colleagues will heartily disagree with me. To them I say, let’s have coffee and talk about it 🙂 ) 

I also think we are living in a great time for dance. I think more than ever are aware of dance as an art form. We have the current dance TV shows and the internet to thank for that!9. What is it about dance that you love so much? 

I don’t know what it is but, I love watching dance, whether its a class, rehearsal, performance, or even my kids’ recitals. I love taking class, teaching class or coaching. I love all forms of dance: ballet, modern, jazz, tap, hip-hop, ballroom, etc. And I love making dances. Many times I have tried to live without making dances (my life would so much easier if I wasn’t a choreographer…). I’ve formally “quit” the dance field twice only to return for reasons I can’t quite articulate. I guess, for me, dance is kind of a calling. I feel like ideas for dances “seize” me and won’t let go. Its like I can’t not make dances. And I feel the most alive when I’m choreographing. 

10. What is next for you? 

Saturday, March 12 Winifred Haun & Dancers is performing at the Regional Alternative Dance Festival in Kalamazoo, MI. On Thursday and Friday, March 17 & 18, we’re premiering Bento in program of 6 works at the Hamlin Park Theater.

Filed Under: 10 Questions With..., 4dancers, 4teachers, Studios Tagged With: apollo's angels, bento, claire bataille, Eiko & Komo, Ellis-DuBoulay, Harriet Ross, hubbard street dance, Jennifer Homans, joseph holmes, legere dance, lou conte, mark morris, merce cunningham, Ohad Naharin, randy duncan, trisha brown, william forsythe, winifred haun

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